In the library, Chen Mo's fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, a relaxed smile playing on his lips.
After five long days of effort—and three failed attempts—he had finally cracked it. Admittedly, he'd shamelessly asked Shu Lao for help. Shu Lao didn't hesitate to guide him, though he did so through a series of questions rather than straight-up answers.
With Shu Lao's light-handed mentorship, Chen Mo quickly identified the final key issues. His antivirus program was now complete.
Eternal Heart—the ransomware that had plagued the world for five days—was about to meet its end.
Chen Mo eagerly copied the program onto a USB drive and plugged it into Xiaoyu's infected laptop.
The familiar ransomware screen appeared: the mysterious iron gate with the massive padlock and a countdown timer. 40 hours left until total data destruction.
The USB drive's light blinked. Chen Mo tapped a few keys.
"Scanning for virus... Progress: 1%"
A status window popped up, making Chen Mo's eyes light up in triumph.
Two minutes later, the progress bar reached 100%. The screen flickered—and the familiar Windows desktop reappeared.
No one in Binhai University's library could have guessed that, in a quiet corner, a student had just cured a cyber plague threatening millions.
"A bit laggy..." Chen Mo muttered, wiggling the mouse.
Then again, it was Xiaoyu's computer. She wasn't exactly tech-savvy, and everything was crammed into the C drive. A little lag was expected. Still, her desktop was surprisingly neat.
"Definitely need to give her a lesson on digital housekeeping," he thought.
He clicked around to test things out, but the mouse suddenly froze over a video icon.
Then—chaos.
"Aaahhh... Libraryyy—!"
A shriek rang out from the speakers, echoing through the library's self-study section.
Chen Mo's eyes went wide in horror. The screen displayed an unmistakably... adult video thumbnail. He nearly spat blood.
Everyone in the room turned to stare. Girls blushed. Some whispered. A few people gawked at him like he was a zoo exhibit.
Without a word, Chen Mo slammed the laptop shut, face burning.
"That dude really came to the library to watch... that?"
"I'm weak. Someone help me carry him out."
"Bro's built different—666!"
Laughter erupted. People clutched their stomachs, slapping tables. The whole self-study section was in stitches.
Chen Mo wanted to disappear.
Xiaoyu... what the hell is on your desktop?!
"I can't stay here anymore," he muttered.
Grabbing both laptops, he shoved them into his bag and bolted from the library.
As he stepped outside, Xiaoyu just happened to be walking out too.
Without a word, he grabbed her hand and marched off.
"What's going on?" Xiaoyu asked, confused by his urgency.
"Just... wait."
They reached a quiet pavilion by the lake. Chen Mo finally stopped, took a deep breath, and handed over her laptop with a bittersweet smile.
"The virus is gone," he said.
Xiaoyu hesitated but opened the computer.
"Ah... Aaah...!"
Moans and wheezing sounds blasted from the speakers. Her face turned crimson before she even saw the screen. She nearly dropped the laptop in shock.
Quickly slamming it shut, Xiaoyu looked everywhere except at Chen Mo.
The thing she feared most had happened.
"That... that night... I was teasing my roommates..." she confessed quietly, eyes fixed on her shoes. "They dared me to download that video... I never actually watched it!"
Chen Mo groaned. "So I took the bullet for you, huh?"
"You saw it? Are you... okay?" she asked nervously.
It was the first time she'd ever discussed something so explicit with a guy—even if that guy was her boyfriend.
"I was in the self-study section. The laptop lagged and auto-launched it. Volume was maxed. Everyone heard it. I'm pretty sure they'll be talking about this for years."
Xiaoyu burst into laughter, completely abandoning her image.
She could picture it—the solemn library, the shocked faces, Chen Mo frozen in horror.
"You're still laughing?! I've never been this embarrassed in my life! How are you going to make it up to me?"
Still giggling, Xiaoyu leaned in, cheeks red, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling back.
Chen Mo's bad mood instantly vanished. He grinned.
"Another one?"
"Don't push it."
She smacked him lightly, still flustered. It was the first time she had ever initiated a kiss.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, teasing. "That whole scene earlier? You didn't shut the laptop down—you just closed the lid. So the video kept playing. Wanna watch it again? Just lift the lid!"
Xiaoyu's face turned bright red. She shoved the laptop into his arms. "Delete it!"
"I mean... I could delete it. Or we could watch it together—"
"DELETE IT!"
Laughing, Chen Mo opened the laptop again. Thankfully, they were alone now. The moment the screen lit up, those... familiar noises returned.
Xiaoyu buried her face in her hands.
"I'm worried that this kind of stuff will ruin your dorm reputation," Chen Mo said, closing the video and permanently deleting it. "There. Gone."
"Thanks." Xiaoyu took the laptop back, visibly relieved to see all her files intact.
After helping Xiaoyu and Zhou Wei clean their computers, Chen Mo walked her back to her dorm.
Back at his place, he dropped his bag and immediately accessed the Science Library.
Shu Lao had promised him a reward: one randomly selected technology, unlocked once the antivirus was complete.
He opened the dark red book. Shu Lao appeared once again.
"All done?"
"Yup."
"Faster than I expected. Ready to receive your reward?"
"Absolutely."
Shu Lao nodded, raised his hand, and summoned a circular array of light in the sky above the library. Countless book-like panels spun within it, rotating faster and faster until only one remained.
The book slowly descended into Shu Lao's hand.
He read the title aloud:
"Production Process for Ultra-Thin Sanitary Pads"
Chen Mo's expression froze. His face twitched. He wanted to cry.
Out of thousands of possible technologies... this?!
Today was cursed.
Shu Lao smirked, clearly reading Chen Mo's thoughts.
"Congratulations!" he said with a loud chuckle.
Chen Mo felt like a wilted cabbage. "Of all the things... why this?! I could've used literally anything else!"
"Would you like to refuse it?" Shu Lao offered with a teasing smile.
"Refuse? Why would I?" Chen Mo instantly changed tune. "I could always sell this to a manufacturer. Easy money!"
Shu Lao nodded and handed over the book.
"Remember what I said before? Finish the antivirus program, and you'd get an extra reward."
"I remember. Is there another surprise coming?"